Bass-drum-operating mechanism



J. D. WILLIAMS.

BASS DRUM OPERATING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED OCT-7.1919.

2 SHEETS--SHEET I.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.. Q

.1, D. WILLIAMS.

BASS DRUM OPERATING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 7, 1919.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BASS-DBUM-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

Application filed October 7, 1919. Serial No. 329,017.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN D. \VILLIAMs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Charlotte, in the county of Mecklenburg and State of North Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bass-Drum- Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for beating bass drums and has for its object the pro-' vision of a manually controlled beating mechanism operable by the operators striking his hand either upwardly or downwardly upon an arm whereby the drum may be beaten without sounding the cymbals as is the case when the drum is beaten by the ordinary foot pedal.

An important object is the provision of a device of this character which will beat the drum whether the operator strikes the control member from one side or the other, means being provided for returning the striking member to initial position.

Another object is the provision of a device of this character which may be quickly and easily attached to the supporting hoops of the drum without injury thereto.

An additional object is the provision of a device of this character which will'be simple and inexpensive in manufacture, highly efficient in use, durable in service, and a general improvement in the art. By a rapid up and down movement of the lever 23, a roll, ranging from a scarcely audible rumble to a thunder imitation may be produced.

IVith the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists in the details of construction to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view through a portion of a base drum showing my device thereon in side elevation,

Fig. 2 is a plan view,

Fig. 3 is an elevation taken at right angles to Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the striking member moved into engagement with the drum head by downward movement of the operating lever, and

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the striking member operated by upward movement of the control lever.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the letter A designates a portion of a bass drum provided at its edge with the 00- operating hoops -B' and C which serve to clamp the drum head D in position.

In carrying out the invention, I provide a bracket 10 which carries upon one side a clam )ing member 11 engaging the hoops B and and provided with an adjusting thumb screw 11 whereby it may be securely clamped. This bracket 10 includes an arm 12 which extends somewhat toward the center of the drum head and upon the end of which is pivotally mounted, as shown at 13, a striking member 14, carrying at its extremity a soft felt beater head 15 adapted to strike against the drum head D for making the required sound. This striking member 14 is provided adjacent the arm 12 with a lateral extension 16 to which is pivotally connected, as shown at 17, one end of an angular arm 18 having its opposite extremity extended laterally, as shown at 19. Pivotally connected with this lever 18, as shown at 20, is a link 21 which has its other end pivotally connected, as shown at 22, with a hand operating ley er23 which is, in turn, pivotally mounted, as shown at 24, upon the bracket 10. Disposed within the lateral extension 19 on the lever 18 and disposed between the lever 18 and the adjacent end of the striking member 14, are rubber cushions 25 and 26, respectively. Secured at one end to the bracket 10, is a spring 27 which has its intermediate portion provided with a plurality of convolutions and which has its other end connected with the striking member 14, the purpose of this spring being to hold the striking member 14 in such position that the beater head 15 will be held out of engagement with the drum head.

The operation. of the device is as follows:

The parts being constructed and arranged as above described, when the operator strikes his hand upon the lever 23, moving it downwardly, the link 21 will be moved downwardly which will cause the lever 18 to rock upon the cushion 26 as a fulcrum whereupon the striking member 14 will be partially rotated upon its pivot 13 so that the beater head 15' will strike against the drum head D and make a sound. The spring 27 will then return the parts to original position with the beater head 15 spaced from the drum head. In the event that the operator strikes his hand upwardly against the lever 23, the link 21 will be moved upwardly which will result in pulling the lever 18 bodily upwardly out of engagement with the cushion 26 and this movement will result in ident'cally the same swinging movement of the striking member let so that the beater head carried thereby will strike the drum head. It will thus be seen that regardless of which way the operator strikes the operating lever 23, the properaction will be produced to make a sound. It will be noted that the cushionQG in addition to functioning asa fulcrum for the lever 18 will also serve to reduce the shock and deaden the soundwhen the lever 18 descends to normal position after being pulled upwardly by the operator striking upwardly upon the lever 23. The cushion 25 also serves to absorb the shock and deaden the sound when the link-21 returns to normal position after the lever 23 is movedby the operators' striking downwardly thereon. V

From'the foregoing descrlptlon and a study of the drawings it will be apparent that I have thus provided an extremely sim-c ple device which may be readily attached to a bass drum and by means of which thedrum may be manually operated either by an upwardor downward movement of the operators hand. 7

While I have shown and described the preferred embodimentof my invention it is of course to be understood that I reserve the right to make such changes in the form, construction, and arrangement of parts as will not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising a bracket detachably engageable upon the hoops at one end of a bass drum, a striking member pivotally connected with said bracket and carrying a beater head adapted to be moved into engagement with the head of the drum a lateral extension on said strlkmg member, a lever pivotally connected with said lateral extension at one side of the pivot point of the striking member, a link pivotally connected-withsaid lever at the, opposite side oi the pivot point of said striking member, and an operating lever pivoted upon said bracket and pivotally connected with said link.

ELA deviceof the character described comprising a bracket detachablv engageable upon the hoops at one end of a base fdrunnaj striking member pivotally connected with said bracket and carrying a beater head adapted to be moved into engagement with the head of the drum, a lateral extension on said striking member, a lever pivotally connected with said lateral extension at one side of the pivot point of the striking member, a 1 link pivotally connected with said lever at the opposite side of the'pivot point of said striking member, anoperating lever pivoted. upon said bracket and pivotally,

connected with said link, and a cushion disposed between said first named. lever and said striking member and serving as a ful crum for said first named lever-when said operating lever 1s depressed;

3. A" bass drum attachment comprising a bracket provided with means for detachable engagement upon a base drum, a pivoted striking member carried by said bracket and 

